IN THE NEWS: Pullman & Comley Welcomes Attorney Melinda B. Kaufmann
HARTFORD, CT, June 27, 2016: Pullman & Comley is pleased to announce the addition of Melinda B. Kaufmann to the Firm as Counsel in the firm’s Labor, Employment Law & Employee Benefits Department. She will be based in the firm’s Hartford office.
Ms. Kaufmann practices in the areas of education law and labor and employment. She advises boards of education on all aspects of their operations, including special education and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, bullying, student discipline, FERPA compliance, Title IX compliance, labor and employment, whistleblowing claims, Freedom of Information Act requests, employment discrimination, Family Medical Leave Act and teacher and staff discipline. She represents boards of education before state and federal courts and agencies. Ms. Kaufmann successfully defended a school district in the first special education jury trial in the country.
Ms. Kaufmann’s labor and employment practice also includes the representation of public and private employers in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies regarding: discrimination, retaliation and harassment claims under Title VI, Title VII, Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act, the Rehabilitation Act, whistleblower claims and various employment-related tort claims. She has successfully defended employers in jury trials, arbitrations and administrative actions.
“The addition of Melinda to our team reflects our ongoing strategy to expand our Education Law and Labor and Employment practices,” said Joshua A. Hawks-Ladds, chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits practice. “Melinda brings to Pullman & Comley exceptional credentials and skills that will benefit our clients and help us continue to expand the breadth of our practice.”
Ms. Kaufmann received a B.S./Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Albany, an M.S. in Special Education from The College of Saint Rose, and a J.D. from the William and Mary School of Law. Prior to law school, Ms. Kaufman spent five years teaching special needs and regular education students and also drafted individual education plans and middle school mathematics curricula.
Ms. Kaufmann is licensed to practice in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Pullman & Comley:
Pullman & Comley celebrated its 95th anniversary in 2014. With nearly 90 attorneys, it is one of Connecticut’s largest firms and provides a wide range of legal services to clients in the New England region, as well as throughout the United States and internationally. Pullman & Comley’s major practice areas include business organizations and finance; environmental and land use; government finance; health care; labor, employment law and employee benefits; litigation; property valuation; real estate; regulatory, energy and telecommunications; and trusts and estates. The firm has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, Stamford, Waterbury and White Plains. The firm is an active member of the Law Firm Alliance, an international affiliation of law firms. For more information, please visit www.pullcom.com.